Arrival in Berkeley

Well, Earthlink messed me up and I could not get online at home. Sorry it took a while to post this -- we did not fall off the face of the planet. Here is last night's sunset:

 Also note that the phone number we had been giving out previous (with the 295 prefix) was never in service. Again, Earthlink.

The past few days have been filled with cleaning and shopping for cleaning supplies. It's kind of a strange thing to wait in an empty house for your stuff to get to you, you feel passive and helpless. So we pass the time by cleaning. This morning I checked the moving van's status, and it's in Gallup, NM. Soon.

It's been sunny and about 70 degrees for the past few days. The streets here are wide and well marked; both the pedestrians and the drivers are much more patient than in Boston. Still, there are letters in the Berkeley Daily Planet about citizen concerns regarding the lack of respect shown on the streets. Hmmm.

Every Friday there is a group that displays an "impeachment" banner. We missed the show this morning, but may have to join them at some point. Then we'll have arrived in Berkeley. For sure.

Leaving MA

This is my last night as a resident of Massachusetts. On Thursday afternoon, a bunch of people came to the house and jammed all our stuff into boxes. Friday morning this really big truck showed up and three guys took all the boxes:

Tomorrow we close the sale and get a big check; the buyers get a mortgage and some keys. Then it's off to the airport and our flight bound for Oakland. 

The last few days have been amazing. Saying goodbyes and thinking about how it's been living here in and near Boston for over twenty years. To all who came to see us off at our big (and very crowded!) party a couple of Saturdays ago, to the one guy who showed up when no one was here (Steve!), and especially to those who took old furniture and made the move super smooth (Kim & Dan, Michelle, Rose, Anthony & Heather, Norma, Matt, Robert & Jeanine, Justin, and Mary & Greely) -- thank you! Extra thanks to Peter and Pam for staying over and dealing with the old computer stuff (more on the way!).

To our long-time neighbors: Joe & Martha, Annette & David, Peg & Gary, and Glen & Joanne: thaks for always being there with a snow plow or a soldering torch. You guys are the best. 

We love you all. We're moving the party to the west coast, so come see us.

MADRacing Shift Paddles

I've been looking and asking around for shift paddles for the DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) in the Audi TT for a while. Others have replaced the standard plastic paddles with the slightly larger aluminum paddles from the VW R32, but I was holding out for something that really changed the shape and usefulness of the paddles. I finally found what I was looking for from MADRacing of Portland, OR.

Before:

After:

These paddle are significantly taller than even the R32 paddles -- much, much easier to hit from a regular 10-n-2 drving position on the steering wheel. The design and execution are tremendous; on par with OEM fittings. They look and feel like they should have been there all along.